Everyone has games they like and dislike, but what about the games that never get made? What are the games that companies should have made, but haven't? Well, here's my top 10 personal choices.
10) Another 2D Mario game
I'm not even sure if I have to explain this. When Mario was in 2D, most Mario games were either the best on their console, or a close second or third. Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario Land, Super Mario World... all of these games were awesome, and some of the most respected games of all time. While Super Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy are good, there's no need to stop pumping out 2D goodness. Sure, the DS had a new Super Mario game that was 2D, but that was years ago, and we're getting restless for another. Plus, the DS game was kind of short, and we want more!
9) Mother/Earthbound continuation.
Most of you will have (hopefully) heard of Earthbound, an SNES RPG that has been my favourite game for a few years now. Now that Brawl is out with the character Lucas from Mother 3, you should know that it is a GBA game that was only released in Japan that was a sequel to Earthbound.
Luckily, Mother 3 will become available to the US and UK in a few days, because a group of fans translated the entire thing from scratch.
The bad news is that if you want to play it, you'll need a ROM and emulator. I'm not saying whether or not I'll be doing that for legal reasons...
Remember kids, stealing is wrong...
But still, even though the story of Mother 3 wraps up the trilogy, I would still be overjoyed if they announced that the series wasn't over. Come on, Ninty!
Mother series FTW! Not for the win, but for the world!!! You have to PK-Love the Mother series. It's PSI-Rockin!
8) A new Chrono game
Now I know what you're thinking, "A new Chrono Trigger game? Aren't they remaking it for the DS really soon? What are you talking about?"
Well, yes, Nintendo are remaking Chrono Trigger for the DS, but that's all it is, a remake. People who have been waiting the last 10 years to hear more from Chrono and the gang are finally getting to play... the same game, with prettier graphics. And a split-screen that will probably make the game more awkward than the SNES version.
A remake is a decent start, but when we're getting remakes of Pikmin, Resident Evil, and now Chrono Trigger, you have to wonder, whe are we actually going to get some games we haven't played yet?
7) More NES style games
Let's face it, Megaman 9 is one of the biggest releases this year. Apart from people who are pissed they can't beat it, it's been completely and utterly shagged by reviewers, and that's because it's everything a game should be. Good music, check. Challenging, check. Simple yet effective gameplay, check.
This isn't just Megaman 9. Look at Braid, or Castle Crashers, or even the new Wario game. All of these old games are being praised nowadays for just about everything. So why not give us some more games like this?
So, to summarize, less of this.
And more of this.
6) Duck Hunt
I know that the Wii has been graced with a few FPSs that can pass for decent games, but let's face it, the WiiMote is downright ugly to use in games that you've grown up playing with a controller. I don't care about swinging the sword differently in Zelda, or opening doors in Metroid Prime 3, I just want to play normally, thanks.
With that being said, the WiiMote is perfect for FPS games. Being able to genuinely aim at the screen is a great help, and a lot more comfortable to me than a joystick or control pad. I'm not a big fan of FPSs, but when I can move without having to use dual analogue sticks, several load/change weapon/reload/duck/jump/do the funky chicken buttons, and even more complex controls, and instead just point at the screen and fire, it's so much simpler.
So why not bring back a beloved 80s game, Duck Hunt, for the Wii? I'm not talking about the WiiPlay minigame where occasionally you shoot a duck, amongst other things. Put in some different modes, two player where you see who can shoot the duck first, and you've got simplistic fun that hasn't been matched since the good old NES Zapper. The original Duck Hunt isn't great by today's standards, but they can change that. Multiplayer, co-op, maybe even multiplayer online to battle people ACROSS THE WORLD!
At shooting ducks...
It sounds silly, but how many people would play Tetris if it was online (which for all I know, it could be).
I rest my case.
5) Kid Icarus + Kirby!
I know that you might be wondering why I have 2 entries, but they're both very similar. For example.
They haven't been announced, so they can technically be put on this list.
People have been waiting f**king years for them.
Everyone knows they're coming, it's just a matter of when.
They're games that will finally get hardcore gamers to stop bitching about Nintendo.
They both feature characters that are well-loved by people.
They both need to be released before people lose interest.
There, that just about explains it.
I'm sorry for the following picture, but it's the only one I could find that had both Pit and Kirby in it.
4) A longer Wario game
Wario has always been one of the most underrated franchises in the world. The Wario Land series on the Gameboy was downright amazing, and the WarioWare series is pretty cool and original too. Even Wario World was awesome to me, with one flaw. It's length.
It's not exactly a ridiculously short game, with 4 world, 2 levels and 3 boss fights in each world, and the fact that to get everything would easily take you about an hour makes it not that short, but it felt it, and I think I know why.
It's a great idea for a game, and I completely loved it. 3D, going around fighting things, collecting treasure, multiple paths in the levels, this game was great. So it wasn't that the game was really really short, it was just that the game was so great, you wanted more, and we haven't had more since! Sure, Wario Land: The Shake Dimension is out, but that's more of a continuation of his 2D adventures. Bring me more Wario, people!
3) A Pokemon game as long as the Gameboy ones
Everyone knows the Pokemon series on the Gameboy was long itself, with Red, Yellow, Blue, Gold, Silver, Crystal, and the for the GBA Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red, Leaf Green, etc.
But what's often forgotten is the sheer length of these games. It's amazing to consider that a game released more than 10 years ago is still one of the longest games in the world to complete, with gyms to beat and Pokemon to catch, and while Colosseum, Gale of Darkness, and Battle Revolution have been alright, they can't compare length-wise to the older games. So please Nintendo, just make a game with at least half the length of the old magic you used to throw together.
2) A 2D Castlevania game
I'm a pretty big Castlevania fan. I've completed 1, 2, 3, Super Castlevania IV, and even one of the most overlooked GBA games in history, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Heck, if I ever get a Playstation, it's not going to be because of Final Fantasy 7, it'll be because of Symphony of the Night.
With that being said, we're being treated to a crapfest and a half this year.
Not only are Nintendo f**king up yet AGAIN with a Castlevania fighting game (Seriously Nintendo, what the fuck?) but there's a new 3D Castlevania game coming out on PS3 and 360. It doesn't sound as bad as the fighter (hence why I said 'a crapfest and a half'; this game is only half as crap as the fighter) it still won't make up for the years when we've had to flee to handhelds with any hope of reliving Castlevania greatness. It just doesn't feel right playing Castlevania in 3D.
I don't care whether or not they use the RPG elements, as they were no more/less fun to me than any other Castlevania game, but please, give us some old greatness with Simon Belmont again.
I would do a recap, but this isn't a Screwattack vid, so if you really want to see the last 9 choices, just scroll up and read them again.
1) A platformer with...
He hasn't had a great game in years, once the most recognised figure in gaming, featuring in one of the all time most recognisable games ever...
Donkey Kong!
One of my favourite characters, the old Donkey Kong games were complete and utter pwnage! The three NES games? First 2 were legendary, last one was good. The Donkey Kong Country series? One of the most amazing platformers I've ever played, and some the best graphics on the SNES. Even Donkey Kong 64 was good, with imaginative levels and some funny moments.
So how come everything since then has been crap? There was the Donkey Konga series, which wasn't exactly bad, but not great either. Then we got a racing game with him on the Wii, which was pretty low. Now, no word on any future games! Donkey Kong is such an amazing character, how can you waste him?
I don't care whether it's 2D or 3D, Donkey Kong needs a return to greatness, and I for one am still waiting for the chance to collect more bananas and fight kremlings again.
He's the leader of the bunch! You know him well! He's finally back, to kick some tail!